Battle of Shadow - 1. Chapter 1

"Jace, if you don't get your ass out of bed right now, I'm going to leave you." Jace resembled a corpse as he slept like small child. Like most college students, he was not a morning person. "Go ahead," muttered Jace as he rolled over and shielded his head from the blinding lights. Daniel, his roommate and best friend since ninth grade, didn't hesitate and walked out of the dorm room. Jace was not affected by this at all as he drifted back into a deep slumber. This was not the first day Jace lacked the motivation to get to class. In fact, this had been an ongoing thing for several weeks.

"Are you passing your classes?" Daniel asked one day when Jace had skipped his classes three days in a row. The question had caught Jace a little off guard.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Just a question. I know I'd be screwed if I skipped three days."

"Well, I'm not you," Jace snapped in response.

"Settle down. It's just a question. No need to be an ass about it." That ended the conversation. The friend were never really good about sharing feelings and being vulnerable with each other. Daniel just let it go hoping it would pass, but it didn't. It was going on three weeks and Jace continued to just sleep in the mornings.

A searing explosion of sound rang through Jace's head as his phone rang. He shot up in shock forgetting he had placed his phone on high. It was Daniel. Reluctantly he decided to answer it.

"Yeah?"

"Hey dude. You coming to Calc? We have a test," Daniel spoke in a soft tone.

"Uh, I think so."

"Alright. Just checkin'. I miss my math buddy. You know this crap doesn't make sense to me," Daniel continued in his pleading tone. Jace would have felt horrible letting him down. He promised Daniel he would go and hung up. He forced himself out of bed, into the shower, then into clothes. He stood in the mirror brushing his teeth and stared at himself. His short brown hair shimmered as the light caught the remaining water on his hair. He green eyes were surrounded by red. It looked as though he hadn't slept in weeks. Jace put a jacket over his lean body and went out into the damp world, in which Jace wanted nothing to do with. The cold air stabbed his skin as he stepped out the door into the town of Fargo, North Dakota.

It was winter. Winter meant a lot of things in North Dakota. It meant blizzards, darkness, below freezing temperatures, and cars not starting. Jace often wondered why he didn't leave when he had the chance. His family all lived in Fargo, including his only friend. Perhaps the reason he didn't leave was because he didn't want to be alone.

Jace arrived in Calculus and took his seat next to Daniel, who was struggling to finish his study guide before Professor Beldan came in.

"Hey man. You ready for this?" smirked Jace.

"No, but I bet I'll be better than you," smiled Daniel as he quickly completed the assignment. Beldan came in and handed out the test without speaking a word and retreated to his desk and eyes the students with a slight smile. The class immediately dove into the exam. Everyone except for Jace. His mind wouldn't let him focus, and before he even noticed, fifty minutes passed by and class was over. Jace's test remained untouched.

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Fargo, especially around the campus, became a ghost town around midnight. Jace used this time to think. He mostly took a walk around campus to clear his mind then would go back and settle in for bed. His mind was racing. He knew that if he continued to skip class he could be dropped, but for some reason he didn't care. College was on the bottom of his list, but that was the problem. He knew what he wanted to be placed at the bottom, but he was still clueless about what should be placed on top.

Time escaped Jace as he mindlessly walked through the park next to the campus. He had never walked this long before, but he couldn't bring himself to face Daniel. He didn't want to argue about calculus. He just wanted to be left alone. Daniel wasn't going to let that happen. So he made up his mind to keep walking. He came to a bench in the center of the park and sat down on it. It was freezing. His jacket was not enough to keep him warm.

He noticed three guys standing over by another bench. They weren't doing anything special, just standing there, until he saw one of them point at him causing the other two to briefly look over. I It made Jace very uneasy. He contemplated leaving but didn't want to look like a jerk and offend them. He took out his phone and pretended answer it.

"Hey Daniel....yeah....yeah...oh right. I'll be there in a bit," Jace exclaimed full proofing his lie. He began to walk the direction he came as quickly as he could until he reached the gate entrance to the park when he heard some call to him.

"Hey! Do I know you?" spoke one of the guys in a loud but gentle tone. Jace turned around slowly until he met eyes with a blue eyed student.

"I'm not sure. Sorry." Jace turned and started to take a few steps. He was quickly stopped by one of the other guys who had short brown hair and dark eyes.

"You going somewhere?" Jace was getting more terrified by the second.

"I'm meeting a friend, back at my dorm," Jace muttered quietly hoping they would leave him alone. The dark haired one smirked a little bit while the other two just stared. Jace was thinking of ways to get away. He planned to punch one in the face then connect his foot with another ones crotch. He figured that would give him enough time to get away and the other one would have to stay and make sure his two friends were alright. He still couldn't do it. Instead he just looked down until the blue eyed blonde one spoke.

"Maybe we could give you a ride? Dorms are pretty far away and it's freezing out." Jace was stunned. Maybe they were just trying to be friendly. He probably just judged them too soon. He turned to them and smiled.

"Sure. Thanks," Jace declared and followed the three strangers out of the gate. They walked down the sidewalk to the car finally introducing themselves. The dark haired one was Eric. The Blonde haired one was Colter, and the last, one who had not spoke, was Brian. They seemed nice enough. Something about them invited Jace in.

"You're going the wrong way," Jace clarified. No one answered him. No one even acknowledged he was there. He was beginning to panic. How could he be so stupid? He should have known better. It's something you learn in elementary school. Don't talk to strangers. Especially when they are creepy and ambush you in the park at midnight. Jace felt stupid. His mind was racing. He didn't want to end up on the news as the abducted missing kid.

They drove into a dark alley way. The three were out of the car in a matter of seconds. Eric opened the door and pulled Jace out quickly. Jace made no attempt to fight. He didn't really understand why. They three guys led him into a dark house and threw him into a chair. Jace sat frozen to the chair. He wanted to run but he knew he couldn't. He was far to scared and shaking to make a getaway. The three guys stood at the doorway talking in a voice so low Jace could barely make it out.

Then it happened. Jace had an impulse that sent him running towards the backdoor. He didn't know if there even was a back door or not, but something made him try. He immediately heard the guys in pursuit right behind him. He saw the back door handle in his grasp but the other proved to be too fast. Colter held Jace against the wall by his neck.

"Come on Jace. Why would you try and do that?" Colter giggled softly. Jace just trembled trying not to cry. "You had to have known we'd catch you." The other two stood very close to Colter as he tightened his grip on Jace's neck.

"Look at him Colter. He's not even crying," smirked Eric. Brian seem to smile a little but still remained silent. "I know. Usually you can't shut'em up. You're different. Aren't ya' Jace? You're stronger than the rest. It's really too bad. I don't want to mutilate such a pretty boy,” Colter said as he began to stroke Jace’s face with his other hand. Eric joined Colter and began to stroke Jace on the other side of his face.

“I can’t take this anymore Colter. Let’s just do it,” Brian pleaded. It was the first time Brian spoke that entire time. Jace closed his eyes expecting to be shot, stabbed, or maybe even raped, but nothing happened. He felt the grip on his neck lighten up. Then, all of the sudden, his clothes were being tugged at. They were tearing the clothes off of him until he was standing there in boxer briefs.

“Oh, come on Brian. You can’t tell me you don’t think this kid is beautiful,” Colter pleaded. “I don’t care. I’m hungry,” Brian snapped. Jace flinched. What did he mean? He was hungry? Jace began to breathe heavily and started shaking.

“Look at him though. His body is perfect with a face to match.” Colter was pleading with much more intensity. “STOP!” Brian bellowed. “We aren’t turning him. We are killing him. Understand?” Colter and Eric both nodded and turned towards Jace. Colter walked slyly towards Jace and grabbed him by the back of the head pulling him close.

“It’s too bad Jace. I would have loved your company.” Colter eyed Jace suspiciously, almost as if he were waiting for something, but Jace did nothing. He stared deeply into Colter’s light blue eyes. He was no longer shaking. He was not longer scared. He was silent.

“What?” Jace questioned in a hushed tone.

“You haven’t said it yet. I’m just waiting for it,” Colter whispered and tilted his head slightly to the left. “You aren’t begging for your life.”

“What good would it do me?” Jace shot back coldly.

“None, but it’s still fun to hear.”

“Sorry to disappoint.”

“I’m not disappointed. Just fascinated.” Colter pulled Jace in quickly and sank his teeth into his neck. Jace immediately felt paralyzed. His blood felt cold. Almost as if it were turning to ice inside him. His heart rate began to quickly change, never resting at a certain pace. He wanted to fight it. Yet, no matter how hard he tried to kick or punch, he was unsuccessful. His limbs would not obey his minds commands. He tried to scream. He tried to speak. No human action would prevail. He was locked in Colter’s embrace.

“Jesus, he tastes…wow.” That was all he could muster up. He backed away from Jace slowly causing him to collapse to the floor. Jace laid there in a trance. His body remained numb. Eric replaced the area where Colter had stood, lifting Jace’s near lifeless body with ease. He proceeded with the same swiftness Colter had, placed Jace’s neck an inch from his mouth for a few seconds before biting into his pale skin.

Once again, the pain erupted. The numbness grew with much more intensity than before. The remaining blood in Jace’s body froze. His heart beat stopped, but his mind hadn’t. Jace could still think. He could still feel everything. He knew he was dead, but he was still alive. The thought of that didn’t make any sense to him.

“Look Brian. Not even a tear. That’s usually the best part,” Eric chuckled as he let Jace collapse to the floor. “You better hurry. There isn’t much life left in him.” Brian didn’t hesitate. He lunged, very quickly, towards Jace and pinned him against the wall for the last time. Brian wasted no time sinking his teeth into the opposite side of Jace’s neck.

Jace braced himself. Only this time, the pain didn’t come back. The teeth that penetrated Jace’s skin were now gone and Jace was in a field. He was standing in the center of a colorful maze of roses. The roses formed a path that Jace mindlessly followed. The sun was rising and slowly outline the surface of the grass. Jace continued down the path as the sun grew brighter, but it did not blind him. It soothed him. He stared into the light without blinking. Jace lowered his head. Why was he there? Was this heaven? It was just how he envisioned it. He felt safe. He felt warm, but at the same time he felt cold and uneasy. Could he really be dead? It didn’t seem fair. He was eighteen years old. His birthday would be coming up in a few weeks. He was too young for this. He continued down the path as he saw a beautiful entryway shrouded in light. Was this the gate to heaven? Excitement and sadness befell Jace at the same time. He missed everyone. He wanted to see Daniel one last time and tell him how sorry he was. He wanted to hug his mother. He wanted to play golf with his dad. He wanted to sit through a day of his classes. This wasn’t fair. Jace placed his hand through the entrance of light causing it to erupt and send light blinding the area around him. Warmth took him over. All of the worry he was once fighting seemed to disperse. He didn’t care anymore. He was ready to step into his new life.

Then it was gone. The light. The warmth. The Sun. Reality set in. A reality where heaven was gone. A reality where the pain was coming back. A reality where Jace felt into complete darkness. A reality where he was no longer alive.